IT’S one of the most exhausting and competitive dance styles out there, but this group of freestyle disco dancers show no sign of taking a break.

Northern Dance Stars is a free-style disco dancing club which meets at Newburn leisure centre

IT’S one of the most exhausting and competitive dance styles out there, but this group of freestyle disco dancers show no sign of taking a break.

Sequin-clad youngsters with Newburn’s Northern Dance Stars school wow judges with body-bending tricks and spins at contests throughout the country.

But their tough competition circuit takes its toll on dedicated parents who have to foot costs of transport and glittering costumes along the way.

Now the young dancers’ parents are turning to the community for support and hope the Chronicle’s £35,000 Wish campaign will give them the financial boost they need.

Clare Mullett, mum of two young dancers, said: “The children train four times a week and normally go to competitions on a Sunday but they’ve all got to pay for that themselves. Any money we get from the Wish campaign we’re hoping to put into a kitty so we can get to competitions in Hull, Grimsby and Blackpool.”

Clare’s two daughters Sophia, 11, and Lily-Mae, of Denton Burn, Newcastle, are both heavily involved in the club, which is run by dance teacher Donna Curry, and they both hope to rise to the rank of premier champion in the discipline.

As they improve their technique, the more elaborate their costumes become – costing anywhere between £300 and £1,500 a piece.

“The parents pay for their personal costumes but we try to get a kitty together for transport costs. It’s a lot of money but it’s worth it in the end. I think it’s brilliant and we have a few champs in the club. There are slow sections as well – it’s not all fast-paced moves like people think,” she said.

This year the Chronicle’s Wish campaign has £35,000 to give away to charities and not for profit organisations doing good for the communities across the region.

To boost their share of the cash groups must collect Wish tokens, which are printed in the paper every day until Saturday, December 22.

The race is now on to see which worthy cause will come out on top and take home the greatest amount of cash.

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